Jungle Rot is an upcoming indie horror game developed by Vexe. As seems to be the norm in 2025, Vexe has taken a unique approach to gameplay and storyline for their horror genre entry, bringing players to Vietnam. The setting is already one that does not appear often in modern games, but to add in elements of Resident Evil and fixed-camera survival has taken an entirely retro approach to a 2025 release. In fact, Vexe says as much, telling users that the game will transport them back to 1999.
Jungle Rot Drops Trailer and Preview Demo
Jungle Rot aims to bring the essence of 1999 survival horror to its 2025 Vietnam era game. The concept is one that has been done before, though not quite in this way. Users will play as a Sergeant with the US Marine Corps, part of the larger REAPER tactical team. The goal is to use biological warfare to turn the tide of the Vietnam War, releasing an experimental toxin among enemy ranks. As disastrous and heartless as that already sounds, the unintended consequences are even worse. As the users’ helicopter crashes, it becomes clear that the toxins have not just hurt enemies, but converted them into hordes of zombies.
The resulting gameplay is right in the sweet spot of Survival Horror. As Bloody Disgusting puts it, “In case there was any doubt, Jungle Rot borrows a lot from the Survival Horror classic. Zombies aside, the game uses the fixed camera, cheesy dialogue, as well as pre-rendered graphics ‘to deliver the most cutting edge horror experience possible in 1999.’ You’ll also need to manage your inventory, solve puzzles, and of course, survive.”
Pulled directly from Vexe’s game description, “Jungle Rot is a fixed-camera survival horror game that makes use of pre-rendered graphics to deliver the most cutting edge horror experience possible in 1999. Manage your resources wisely, solve puzzles and fight your way through undead monsters whose only goal is to tear the flesh from your bones. Will you escape? Or will you rot in this godforsaken jungle?”
Take a look at the trailer for yourself, and get pulled back in to the retro-inspired action that should engage users even if the short storyline that takes place.
Final Thoughts
Every time the gaming world turns around, it seems yet another indie horror is being brought to the scene. Some have blown up in popularity, while others stay in the niche community that they originally intended to target. Chances are, Jungle Rot will fit the latter, but that does not take away from the engaging and horrifying content it aims to depict. Mixing war and zombies is a classic combination that speaks to the evils that war perpetuates on the people.
Jungle Rot is available for a preview demo download on itch.io, which means, admittedly, by the developer, the length is short right now, but it should be enough to engage fans. There is also a Discord server for feedback, so go check this indie horror out!
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